This invention relates generally to safety devices and related equipment systems for use by electrical technicians and/or other persons working on or in the vicinity of electrical equipment. More particularly, this invention relates to a relatively compact and simple warning device for activating an alarm upon detection of an electrical shock hazard.
Many people are required to work on or with electrical equipment which, if not properly safeguarded, presents a risk of severe injury or death as a result of electrical shock. For example, relatively high powered and/or high voltage equipment, such as electrical generators and transformers, etc., are widely used in many industrial or commercial endeavors, wherein the electrical equipment is normally contained within a protective enclosure or housing to prevent accidental contact therewith. Unfortunately, in the course of routine operation or maintenance, it is often necessary to open or remove portions of the protective housing to permit direct access to electrical components contained therein. In this regard, warning signs are commonly placed on or adjacent to the electrical equipment to remind personnel regarding potential shock hazard if the housing is opened, and further to remind personnel that access to the housing interior should be restricted to engineers, technicians, or other trained and/or authorized persons. Notwithstanding these safeguards, incidents of severe electrical shock occur with undesirable frequency, sometimes involving supposedly trained personnel as a result of individual negligence or faulty equipment.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for further improvements in safety devices and systems designed to reduce and/or eliminate incidents of severe electrical shock. The present invention fulfills this need by providing a relatively simple and compact warning device which can be carried or worn by selected individuals, and which functions to activate an alarm whenever the individual is in close proximity with electrical equipment presenting a shock hazard.